Noro Silk Garden 4-ply Shawl

This week I have finished something else – the shawl that I have been knitting for several weeks.

The pattern was on the front cover of Noro magazine Issue 5 (Fall/Winter 2014).  The original was knitted in much brighter colours and a completely different yarn.

It is called a Garter Triangle Shawl and was supposed to be “Easy”.  It wasn’t easy at all.  I know a garter stitch shawl sounds easy and normally I wouldn’t worry about tackling a project described as “Advanced”, but I wanted something easy – something I could knit whilst chatting.   I like the design and eventually I managed to knit it correctly – but to start with it is difficult – not easy.  The reason is that because it is in garter stitch - every row seems to the same but  you need to increase on some rows and not on others.

To solve the problem of mixing up the back and the front – I put a safety pin on the front, but it is still easy to go wrong when you get to a marker and are not paying attention – you can increase a stitch on rows when you shouldn’t and vice versa.  Every time you get to a marker – you have to look for the safety pin to decide whether to increase or not.  Alternate rows are just garter stitch – but it is not natural to just do garter stitch- you have to fight the urge to increase.

Unfortunately – you need to increase correctly – so that the holes come out in the right place.  I must admit there is the odd row when I found I had too many stitches and I just knit 2 together to get rid of one rather than take it out again.

I am pleased with the result and I would recommend the pattern - but if you try it – don’t expect it to be easy!

10-Stitch Blanket

I have decided that I have finished my 10-stitch blanket – it is more like a throw really.

The pattern says you should knit until you run out of yarn or until you decide it is the right size.  I have a bit more yarn but probably not enough to go right round again.

The throw was knitted on 7mm needles using Noro Kureyon Shade 319.  The pattern is designed by Frankie Brown and is available on Ravelry.  However I did not follow the pattern exactly.  I am not sure that I did the short row corners correctly – but I think they look OK and more significantly I have not got a ridge on the front because I wrapped it ( I slipped the first stitch on every edge and carried the yarn behind the work). 

This means that both sides look quite similar as you can see below.

While I was knitting – I thought – next time I do this I will do it properly – but actually I don’t think I will – I like this effect.  Something that I would do differently – I would do more rows to start with – so that the blanket would turn out oblong rather than square.

It was particularly interesting to see that another customer of Oxford Yarn Store has been knitting a 10-stitch blanket.  Hers is much bigger than mine and completely different.  I would definitely knit another one – and I would like to knit a throw with lots of spirals – I wonder if I have got the patience.  I have certainly got a lot of yarn that I could use.  There is still snooker on the TV and the forecast is cold weather so perhaps it would be good idea to knit another throw.

A Few Knitted Vegetables and a Shawl

I know I had intended to finish something this week but I haven’t really.  I am still knitting the 10-stitch blanket – but it is quite large by now.  It takes a ball of yarn to knit each strip.  I think I will do 3 more strips and then I will say it is finished.

I have finished 4 knitted vegetables for All the Fun of the Fair.

I don’t think they are too unlike the originals. These are not completely finished because I am also knitting a yellow pepper which I have unravelled a few times.  It is nearly finished but the model looks very shrivelled and inedible.  I haven’t typed any of the patterns either – they are scrawled on bits of paper.

I don’t think I have mentioned it but a few weeks ago I started knitting yet another Noro shawl as a portable project. 

I think I will try to get that finished this weekend.  The World Snooker Championships starts on Saturday so I should be knitting in front of the TV for the following 2 weeks without getting distracted by housework etc.

Goodbye to a Kaffe Fassett Jumper

After reading about the new Kaffe Fassett Knit-along last week – I remembered that I had knitted a Kaffe Fassett jumper years ago.  I wondered if I had still got it or whether I had given it to charity.  I found it – but sadly it has been eaten by moths.  I hate moths.  I try to keep yarn and jumpers with “moth” repellents such as lavender and/or cedar balls but they still seems to thrive in odd places.   Recently I seem to have worn out jumpers before they have been eaten - but the ones at the back of the drawer are still vulnerable.  Incidentally – I haven’t seen a moth in years – I try hard to keep them out – but somehow they still sneak in and lay eggs on my jumpers! 

Anyway before I threw out the Kaffe Fassett jumper – I took some photos of it (avoiding the holes).  It is the Windows or Squares pattern from various books – but this jumper was in Kaffe Fassett at the V & A published in 1988.

Most of Kaffe’s designs are brightly coloured – but there is shawl in Glorious Knitting which is knitted in more subtle colours and so I followed that.  The jumpers was mainly dull colours – greens, beiges and creams with central squares of very bright colours – like little jewels.  I remember buying some of the yarn in Liberty’s in London shortly after Kaffe Fassett opened their yarn department.

Anyway – on Saturday I went to Oxford Yarn Store and bought some more yarn to make myself feel better!  I bought 2 skeins of Malabrigo Arroyo.  I couldn't resist it. I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet – probably another shawl.

I bought 6 balls of black DK yarn to knit a lace shawl that will go with my black and white coats. This is not very exciting - but quite practical.

And I bought some more Noro Kureyon.  It is hard not to.  I needed a bit more for my 10-stitch blanket and I am collecting for other projects which are in my head.

Next week I may have finished something and will be able to show you photos of something I have produced recently – and hopefully still moth free.